The Baltimore Ravens seemed to have a Week 1 victory in the bag, but as is becoming a common theme, they managed to blow it. In fact, Baltimore has become the master of blowing big leads late in games. Of course, you have to build a big lead to blow one, so the Steelers haven’t had that problem. But one can’t deny that finishing games has been an issue at times for a Super Bowl favorite.
Under HC John Harbaugh, the Ravens have now blown double-digit leads in the second half 17 times. According to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, that is the most in the NFL going back to at least 1991. More than that, they also made history against the Bills. In their one-point lost, they also lost a game for the first time while scoring 40-plus.
“I do believe that we need to be really thoughtful of how we decide that we’re going to approach those situations going forward”, Harbaugh said via the Ravens’ website. “Let’s give it some thought. Let’s give some thought to our play calling. Let’s give some thought to our defensive play calling. Let’s give some thought to our mindset like how we’re going to talk to one another”.
In Week 2 last season, the Ravens held a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. They allowed the Raiders to score 13 unanswered in the final 10 minutes, however, including two field goals. Throughout that time, their offense barely managed to move the ball.
Granted, playing the Buffalo Bills with Josh Allen helps when you’re trying to lose a high-scoring game. The Ravens held a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, however, and Buffalo scored 16 unanswered points.
Lamar Jackson accounted for three touchdowns, and Derrick Henry rushed for 169 yards with two scores. He also had a costly fumble in the fourth quarter, however, and put the blame for the Ravens’ loss squarely on his shoulders.
But even when your offense puts up 40 points, you can’t win many games when your defense gives up 41. This continues a theme from last season in which the Ravens’ defense underperformed for much of the year. They cleaned things up as the season progressed, but not before bringing in help.
Despite their immense talent, the Ravens in recent years appear to be a team that can’t overcome its mistakes. In some high-profile games, they will suffer from drops, foolish penalties, and bad turnovers. In last year’s Divisional Round loss, it was Pro Bowl TE Mark Andrews dropping a two-point conversion. And that was against this same Bills team.
Since the Ravens drafted Lamar Jackson in 2018, Harbaugh has blown five fourth-quarter leads of 10-plus points. They blew two such leads in 2022, and one during his rookie season, along with the two aforementioned. He has nine blown fourth-quarter leads of double digits overall.
